Shout out to B'nut for winning her AG.... (true story ~ my 4 year old won her AG)

Shout out to Dave for embracing the spirit.

Shout out to my H for wearing a RED SHIRT with SOX on the front of it... hilarious, yes he gets the joke, I'm sorry I can't explain it 100% here...

And finally, I guess I should at least give myself some kind of credit/shout out. I wasn't feeling it on race day. I felt un prepared and un ready to run a 5K at speed. I had fear. Not that I wouldn't finish, don't be silly. But that I would NOT PR. That the one time I ran a "fast" 5K was a fluke, or the course was short, or ... something.

Before the race I jogged over and said HI to Isn'tcool. Isn't that funny? Yeah, I know. Sadly, I am starting to like him. Damn. My blog posts about volunteering are probably going to suck from now on...

After that, we did the photo thing. And I still wasn't feeling it. Still, right before the race I jogged a 3 minute warm up and went to line up at the start. Some guy looked at me in my socks in the "front" (I was 3 "rows" in) and says, "OH, well what are YOU planning on running it in?" And I said, confidently, "7:40's, or so..."

I had no confidence in that at all. But it was a goal...

"Oh. OK. I was thinking I would run it in 8's. And he stepped back and gave me his spot.

I went out too fast. *typical of me at a 5K... when am I going to learn?

I died a little in mile 3. *worst bonk in 5K history as far as average pace "fall off" is concerned.

My goal was 23:59. I missed it.

By 12 seconds. 12 seconds in a 5K is a lot of time... but I DID get a PR.

...a 3rd place AG in a fairly large race. This wasn't 3rd out of 13... this was something like 3rd out of 40! You know, for all my joking about not being elite, or even "Richmond Elite", I think I need to try to embrace the idea that I'm surprisingly fast for a girl in Dr Seuss striped tall socks... average pace 7:48...

Thursday, May 26, 2011

I made it out to Team Adrenaline again yesterday. I’m sorry, I don’t even know how to say it any more than

~ it’s a freaking good high ~.

My BFF Paulie, who is still just as cute as ever, totally kicked my amply proportioned a**.

Paulie concocted a brutal torture session, with 16 child sized orange cones and some preprinted lines in a parking lot… He is sadistic.

~ I mean that in the nicest way. Said with love ~

We were all pretty much wasted. Legs shaking and head spinning, I briefly considered laying down in the dirt and taking a nap.

Or passing out.

Whichever…

One would think that given that as my condition, the class was over, right?

No. Seriously. No.

Right?

“Now that you’re tired, it’s time to run.” Of course it’s time to run! What else would we DO? I mean, REALLY. Given the choice between laying down in the dirt and running I choose laying down in the dirt running.

I don’t mean that to be down on myself. I’m just weak. How am I going to get stronger? Well, working through the suckage – of course. I’m not brilliant at running, but I at least know where I STAND with that. I know how to run hard. It’s not pretty, but I CAN do it.

We did 3X 1 minute hard, with 2 minute recovery between each ‘hard effort’. It was made clear to us. Bring it for the 1 minute.

Ok. I don’t know what I ran it in. I know it was 6’s, based on the 6:14 I saw on my garmin now and again. I couldn’t look at the garmin, and it wasn’t ON, it was just on my wrist. Kinda wish I’d worn my HR monitor.... I think I will wear it to Adrenaline from now on.

After the second repeat I felt more than a little peaked… and by the conclusion of the third one I was glad I had skipped breakfast.

After class BFF Paulie spent a few minutes showing me & my GBA guests how to run better, with more efficiency. I will dedicate an entire 2000 word post to his words - I promise. I need photos first though... Seriously though - he. freaking. rocks. but you may have gathered that from my worshipfulness in my last Adrenaline Post?

So afterwards I was chatting with a friend of mine who does Adrenaline and I said, “Sorry you couldn’t make it… class was EPIC today.”

The response:

“Class is always epic. 2nd rule of Adrenaline.”

And I’m thinking, this is a person who knows the GBA rules.

Rules like, “don’t get run over” and “Don’t drown” usually rank AFTER rules that are more, um, vanity based like, “don’t forget to shave”…. We have some good rules here at GBA, what can I say?

So. If the second rule is “Adrenaline is always EPIC”, what is the first rule of Adrenaline?

I racked my brain for a few minutes…

First rule ~ never say, “I can’t do it.” Nah, that seems too vanilla.

First rule ~ “try not to suck”. Nah, that seems a bit snotty.

First rule ~ “no whining”. Nah, that seems too canned.

First rule ~ “no crying”, nah, that seems entirely unrealistic.

First rule ~ try not to be distracted by Paulie’s rippling muscles. Yeah, well that’s probably MY number one rule. It’s tough though… very... Huh? What were we talking about? Oh, distracted by BFF Paulie's legs... abs... so.... ~ right. focus ~ Nah, that seems a bit of a Gender Specific rule.

and before you all think it’s just me, Kc agrees....

So I asked, WHAT is RULE #1 at ADRENALINE?

“Duh, I would think that would be obvious… If you have to vom, move away from the group.”

There are others, and hopefully by the time this goes to press there will be a few more. In the end, about $690 was raised. The campaign stays up for about a month, so maybe I will make it to the goal. I set a high goal, because I had no idea what to expect. That's OK if I don't make it. Do you know why? I'm down with coming short on a goal if the results are as FABULOUS as THIS. Almost $700 toward my BIRTHDAY WATER STOP!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Remember in March when I wrote that post about how runners are weird? How, if you take runners out of their running shoes & technical shorts that they act like total social morons? Unable to make eye contact? Unable to practice any kind of social grace?

Well.

It happened.

I became one of “them”.

I went to volunteer at an RRRC event, and got along with everyone. Weirdness and all. I even caught myself in a TOTAL moment of social awkwardness, sort of stuck in limbo where I couldn't decide... and.... the thing... and most definitely... acting weird.

I totally made friends (again) with Isn’tcool, who might (actually) be cool, but in a really geeky kind of way. I have a theory on why he's so awkward, but, it's just a theory, so...

Isn'tcool and I talked running, racing strategies, horses, goofiness (no, not really but there’s definitely a goofy aspect to Isn’tcool), parenting styles... We invited others to join our circle and teased the newcomers a little but in a nicer way than I was 'teased' when I was a new comer... and somewhere in all this I became sort of known as the Finish Line NAZI… sort of…

yeah, I think that’s one of those all or nothing kind of titles.

Um. SO... moving on.

I had a GREAT time. Weirdness and all. There was so much laughter at one point I got a little teary, and yes, my face started to hurt… and it occurred to me, I was completely fitting in with the group.

~gasp~ Have I become a RRRC “geek”?

I’m no RRRCmartyr though, no worries on that. Never have I thought in my last 4 outings, spread out over 4 months, “I’m the only one who does anything for this club”, because I can clearly see that there really are about 8-10 people who run the club of 2600 or so, with the “occasional help” from people like me.

Regardless of my lack of Martyrdom, there were some “signs” that I’ve gone the way of the GEEK.

British guy and I reunited in a loud and obnoxious way – sign #1.

And then British guy & I “broke up” in a very public way when I was delegated to a new job at the start line – sign #2.

I claimed my “lucky pen” and then made a huge production of hunting it down – sign #3.

British guy & I got back together in a (not really) emotional… geeky…. reunion when it was determined that I do best with my clipboard in hand... Nazi – sign #4.

At the end of the day I was taught a few more Mad Finish Line SkillZ, so that incase someone ever needs me to start the race or set the clock, I will know how.

Oh dear.

They’re giving me a real job? Twice in one day? - sign #6?

I’m too pretty for this.... to be a geek.... right?

~gasp~ Did I really just SAY THAT? Out. Loud?

I’m too ...Right? There are standards for GEEK and I’m 100% certain that my (assets) are too (something) for me to fall into the GEEK category... pretty sure...

Actually, the other women who show up to volunteer are generally quite lovely, so this isn’t fair to them,but the men are ALL a bunch of runner geeks ~ true story~. Well, except ONE ~ but I won’t go into THAT here, he’d be EMBARRASSED, and then he’d ACCUSE ME of making him into the next Justin Bieber ROCKSTAR or something, and AS IT IS, with my SUPER COOL article in print I’m already expecting to get BLAMED for an increase in membership in the Richmond Road Runners Club… well OK, maybe NOT.

Well, PROBABLY not.

Just like I’m not too pretty to be a "runner geek".

I think anyone who has as much fun as I had on Saturday at a 5K finish-line runs a real risk of being labeled a runner geek.

But GEEK or NOT ~ I have to wonder if one of the reasons Isn'tcool let me "in" is because I didn’t choose to wear PINK … because my favorite pink tank top wasn’t clean and it was kind of warm for sleeves with long pants and my legs were too unshaven pale to wear shorts.

NO WORRIES THOUGH, I was wearing an inappropriately tight black tank top that had the words “runner first, logical thinker second” in white letters strategically stretched across the front.

Hmm. Maybe my strategy for fitting in with Isn’tcool & Co. is hitting below the belt?

Monday, May 23, 2011

First rule of running… don’t run in JUST a sports bra unless you are 100% sure you can pull it off. 2nd rule, don’t get run over.

First rule in swimming – be sure to shave before heading to the pool.

SO, of course, the first rule in TRIATHLON? “Don’t Drown”. (because biking and running are easier if you have a pulse.)

2nd rule in Triathlon – HAVE FREAKING MORE FUN THAN EVERYONE ELSE ON THE COURSE.

Word.

DeNiece and I arrived at Transition at 5:12. Thanks to a super tip regarding parking, we were literally ON TOP of the Transition area. It felt a little decadent really.

Remember that freaking AWESOME coach from mile 22 of the Richmond marathon? She did her first Tri today! We met up before the race and hung out all morning. She needs a blog name... I might have to work on that... Perky... Cute... there are so many good WORDS for her, but none that seem right. Karasmatic.... (edited because SpeeDee is a genius)

As we got set up on the bike racks, I heard the race official reprimand a guy for bringing his puppy into transition. So I said to the guy, “hey, can I rub your puppy for some prerace MOJO?”

A key to successful multisport eventing - get puppy mojo when available.

Another key ingredient is freaking make friends with EVERYONE. GBA Mer, who also kicked a** and raced gave me that super Tri-shirt I mentioned last week.

Well thanks to Mer everyone who walked by me, near me, or, hell, even saw me in line waiting to swim came to wish me Happy Birthday. One woman, Cheryl wished me Happy Birthday, and then told me I would have THE PERFECT DAY. I said, I will, because I believe that is true.

I chatted with the girl ahead of me, the girl behind me, and within minutes we were all buddies.

Before I knew it, it was time to swim. I hopped in the pool, watched the clock count down, and launched myself.

Have you ever had one of those days where you were born to swim? Strong arms, easy breathing… I was one with the water. Almost immediately in the swim I realized I was catching the girl ahead of me. I had planned on just not passing anyone on the swim, even if I was having an OK swim, because then you have someone LITERALLY in your wash chasing you, but I had really caught her by 200m into the swim, and I could see that there was no one else in the pool at this point. So at almost 225m I touched her toe. At the end of the pool she held and waited for me to pass her, and as I pushed off I heard her say, “Yea! It’s your birthday SWIM!”

How cute is THAT?

I can hear my friends cheering as I come out of the pool and into the light… I threw my hands up in a “yea for cheering, yea I didn’t drown, yea I’m on my way!”

T1 went fine. I didn’t land on my a**, or fall, or anything. I was out and mounted my bike. And COULDN’T GET MY SHOE CLIPPED INTO MY PEDAL.

Uhg. I was flustered.

Southern Comfort – one of my favorite SNOTTY MTT COACHES was there and I could hear her screaming “you’ve got this!!!” – it was GREAT to have a personal cheering squad.

Southern C was cheering me and I looked at her and said, “UHG! I am all messed up!” and I lifted my eyes and see Q. Right there. Huh. This sucks. I’m sucking in front of someone who SO doesn’t suck.

But Q always seems to know just what to say to me at just the right moment, and he only gave me one word. It was the one I needed to hear, said in a nice easy tone: “relax”.

I internally brought myself in check and reminded myself that it was MY RACE and MY TIME and suddenly, “clip”… I was in and rolling up the hill and out of the parking lot. I got straightened out in the clothing department, got myself squared away, and got ready to ride.

“Yea! It’s your birthday ride!” #164 ~Melanie~ says as she passes me. I kept her in my sights for a while. I just wanted to keep up with her and her happy energy. I was doing really well with that actually, and then, suddenly, a calf cramp like you wouldn’t believe shut down my left leg. As soon as I felt it I dropped all the resistance from my gears and upped my cadence.

I was slower, without a doubt, but I was able to spin out the cramp for the most part. Melanie left me, I could see a red shirt ahead of me (passed the red shirt without incidence). I got passed by a quite few people, but not too many. It wasn’t the bloodbath that last year’s bike leg of the Tri was, that’s for sure.

T2 was fine. Not brilliant, but acceptable. Said “HI” to Denise as she came into the bike leg of her race, and headed out for the run.

My legs were a little squishy for the first 3 minutes and then suddenly… It was great. GREAT.

My RUN was FREAKING SO WITH ME ON THE RUN.

Um. If that made no sense, Sorry. My run and I are just so in love... it was our first race together in a long time.

My calf was tight, but my run hung with me. Out. And back. In… THE TWICKORY! (Talk about knowing every little detail of the course.)

"Yea! It's your Birthday RUN!" ~ love that girl.

Mile “almost done” of the run and I see a woman on the corner and realize, she’s YELLING at ME! “You’re GINNY RIGHT? I’m SOUTHERN COMFORTS’S FRIEND!!! GO!!! PASS THAT GUY!!! YEA!!!” Let me just be clear on how much that didn’t suck. At. All. Thank you, I think I will add you, Sal, to my list of BFF’s….

I seriously brought it for the last ½ mile of that run. I crossed the line, heard my name, and then heard the guy say, ‘OH hey! AND it’s her birthday today!”

After that I stumbled around for a few, ran into Kc (fresh off her night shift), grabbed a ¼ bagel, thanked a few volunteers and spotted my Witch Dr.

He offered me a massage. I felt like SUCH A VIP getting a massage, stretch, etc from my Witch Dr. That rocked. He was so sweet, and his wife is a dear. Very cool. And my calf knot was “ok” once he mashed the crap out of it. It, ah, yeah. Felt great? (no. not really IN the moment, but afterward it did feel much better).

Karasmatic, Southern Comfort & me

It really was a PERFECT day. Did a few things not go to plan? Sure, absolutely. Find me a day when everything did go perfect. I am proud of myself. I am proud of my training. I made a plan and executed.

Mer, me, & DeNiece

Final results -

Not drowned... smiling... goals met... perfect day....

OH, and there are other blog worthy results too...

Place 225 #165 F 35 13/43

Swim-5:41 T1-2:13 Bike-40:55 T2-2:22 Run-26:00 Total Time 1:17:08

(EDIT) So after the official results were posted, Richmond Multisports announced that 1 minute of the bike split was included in T2 - meaning that my bike was really closer to 41:55 and T2 was more like 1:22. This is such a relief for me. I honestly couldn't figure out how I had lost a minute in T2....

Sunday, May 22, 2011

I'd love to stay and chat... but I'm at my birthday threesome right now...

oh! ~ what ~ ?

I meant Birthday Triathlon.

Hope everyone is having a STELLAR SUNDAY FUNDAY!

You want to get me a lavish gift but cannot fathom what I'd like? I don't need anything. But plenty of people need fresh drinking water. GBA GF Turns 35My Charity: Water help bring safe fresh drinking water to 75 people.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

About 3/4 of my friends will stop by my FB page to wish me Happy Birthday.

I have 249 Facebook friends and 158 blog followers.

Assuming that some of them over lap, I still came to the realization that if each of my friends and followers donated only $5 to GBA GF’s 35th Birthday Campaign, we could bring drinking water to 75 people.

I cannot count the number of times I have handed a paper cup filled with water to a runner.

I can’t hand everyone water though.

Because my arms aren’t that long.

Help me provide a “water stop” for folks who don’t have access to clean water.

This is the first training plan I have built from scratch, on my own, and then fully executed pretty much as it was drawn.... well, I skipped 2 workouts. And added 6.

My last TRI I didn't train for... at. all. I was in week 12ish of a Marathon Training Plan. I figured 5 days a week of fairly intense running for 12 weeks constituted a good enough training plan.

This time I literally was starting with nothing.

No run base, a small bike base, and... well, a HUGE swimming base, that's undeniable.

I think it was all the time in the pools of the Richmond area that lead to the D.o.G. (that's delusions of grandeur, not delusions of g... maybe both, a little) & the Triathlete fantasy*....

*Not sure it was my fantasy, BTW. For a few weeks there I was getting daily e-mails/FB messages from 3 different multi-sport men in my life asking when I was going to sign up for a TRI, telling me I was like a freaking fish, and comparing our swim times & junk... no wonder I was having D.o.G. I'm not suggesting inappropriate fantasies. I'm suggesting... you know what? I think anytime you involve "multi-sport men", the word "fantasy", etc. in a sentence 3 days after a see-through pool story, you probably better quit explaining and continue on the blog post before you get into REAL trouble...

Anyway, I'm curious to see if my Sprint Tri Specific planis better than my 12 weeks of marathon training "oh I think I'll do a tri" plan. (I, um, actually have some doubts, but ~ we'll see ~)

Today was supposed to be a swim day, but to be honest, I am not sure I'm back to 100% feeling well, so I thought I would stay out of the pool... and off the roads... if I get antsy later, I can always practice my transitions in the driveway.

Tomorrow I have planned "total and complete rest" (aka, volunteering with people who may or may not be 'cool' in the morning, picking up a race packet, and then running around with my kids on a Saturday doing 'stuff')

Details like...
I'm so NOT a size XS. More of a "could wear a small if my assets didn't demand a medium or large" kind of girl.

So.

Put this outfit together and it's pretty cute, right? I was pleasantly surprised to be honest with you. Yeah. Feeling good. Feeling Boss. Wicked even...

Hopped in the pool. Swam a perfect 300m time trial. Had 9 seconds to spare (it's a pool swim, seed time accuracy v/ important). Swam another 500m to round it out.

Hop out of pool. Notice the guy taking his swim lesson does a double take so I pulled the shirt down a little, incase it had ridden up, and walked into the locker room, dry off, go into gym to do PT while I wait for SpeeDee.

I had to walk through the weight room to get to the spot tucked in the corner where I like to do my PT.

I will say this. Spin class was WICKED yesterday. Got so high about 30 minutes into class that I started to giggle... seriously. I'm sorry to the serious people working out in that class. I didn't mean anything by it... I was just high. And, since we're all about the details here, headlights on ALL through spin class too.... nearly obscene. nearly.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Yesterday I got a virtual slap. Not from one of my best girl friends, like last time, but ~yes~ from a friend.

It stung a little.

Actually. No. It HURT like a b*tch.

I wasn't expecting it.

I tried to brush it off, because really, REALLYI had it coming, but. wow.

"Don't be that person."

Who knew? I have become someone I can't stand. i.e. I am now "the recreational athlete who becomes so obsessed with their training that you cringe when you see their name in your inbox".

great. effing. great.

And then with the sting from the slap still tingling, I went out to do my usual Monday Brick workout. An easy ride followed by an easy run with KC.

So I spent the first half of the ride overanalyzing every aspect of overanalyzing my workouts while thinking about the slap (which had to do with... overanalyzing... not about triathlons... but ~no~ the irony was not lost on me...).

I finally confessed to Kc what was on my mind while we were slugging up one of the hills.

The reason I am over analyzing everything...
The reason I'm driving my friends crazy enough that they're willing to slap me before 8am...
The reason my husband just listed me for sale on e-bay for $8.87...

I'm oddly nervous.

About this race.

I'm afraid I'm going to let people down.

Isn't that weird? Why would I worry about letting OTHER people down over what's supposed to be a "fun" Birthday Triathlon.

No one cares.

This is like high school when you're new and you feel like everyone is staring at you, only, no one is actually staring at you because they're too worried that you - the new girl - is staring at them.

huh.

That was kind of telling there....

I'm truthfully afraid that I have trained for all this time, and I will suck.

And all these freakishly amazing TRI-friends of mine will see how badly I suck. Any running greatness I may have ever achieved will be completely un-done by my suckage at the Triathlon.

I have this super little bike, so I can't blame a poor performance on my ride.

I trained & practiced transitions, so if I F*cK up I can't blame it on lack of preparation.

I can freaking swim. so if I choke in the pool, it's no one's fault but... my... own.

If I suck, it's because I suck.

And if I was coaching someone, and they said all that, I would shake them firmly and say, "THAT is NO WAY TO MENTALLY PREPARE FOR ANYTHING". But then, as I'm fond of saying, I'm not a coach.

I need to OWN THIS TRI.

So after I freaked outwhined a bit poured my insecurities out onto the roads of the Hilly Hall, KC reminded me of something, whether she meant to remind me or not.

I'm not SpeeDee, World Class Kate, Du Q, Top 3 TMB, or The Witch Dr...

I'm GBA** GF.

No one goes by the acronym Galactically Bada** Girl Friend because they believe they are, indeed, a world.class.athlete. They go by that acronym, and they name their team Galactically Bada** Running, because they KNOW how to bring it and have FUN on race day.

I do this stuff to have fun and test my own limits. I do this with heart and passion, with an ultimate goal to get STRONGER and try new things. I am here for the experience of it all.

The training is done. The "hay is in the barn"... I need to spend the next 6 days mentally preparing for the FUN I'm going to have when I bring it to my Birthday Triathlon.
Galactically Bada** indeed.

Friday, May 13, 2011

I only listed the “ones I have”. There are more signs… not a lot more though. Sadly, these are also possible signs of mommy hood, Iron deficiency, stress, and PMS, so it’s tough to say whether I’m truly having signs of “over training” or "signs of life".

My training plan had plenty of easy days in it. I just kind of suck at, um, taking it easy. Yeah, I think that about sums it up.

Insomnia dropped by for a 1:20am-3am visit last night for the first time in a while and I have to question, was it related to the brutal training schedule I’ve been following, or is it just stress? I had some time to think… while I was thinking about not being asleep… and replayed the number of times I’ve said the following in the last 3 weeks…

Tomorrow I’ll be sure to cross train. Can't pretend that Adrenaline is considered a light workout.

Tomorrow I’ll only workout once. I can’t skip my brick today.

Tomorrow I’ll address these symptoms of over training, but today I’m just going to push through.

Today I needed to do a light workout, because yesterday I didn’t take a rest day, because the day before I did a hard cross train, because Tuesday I worked out a brutal double, because Monday I ran instead of swimming, because Sunday I was on my feet for 12 hours, because Saturday I did a stellar brick because because because ….

But I didn’t. I pushed myself to hold the pace, even when I wanted to slack. I pushed myself to finish the 6, even though I ran past the car at 4. I pushed… again… thinking, “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day…”

Once again, I put it off until tomorrow. And tomorrow I really want to go to Adrenaline…

And Sunday I want to run “long” because I miss my run….

And Monday… Monday starts a recovery week.

By mid-week of next week, in theory, I should be insane, twitchy, and the blog should have 7 neurotic pre-triathlon posts in a row.

If I manage to take it easy, like I’m supposed to…

The thing is, when I go to the gym, I go BIG. I don’t know how to slack. I don’t know how to swim easy, run easy, or cycle… actually, cycle easy I have mastered. I certainly don’t know how to Row easy *new favorite toy at the gym, ROWING MACHINE ~ love. It. I rowed yesterday, and spent 24:24 minutes beating RM into submission. Freaking. Awesome. But. It was supposed to be a light day, I just couldn’t bring myself not to bring it.

I mean, if I take a day off, I tend to take the DAY OFF and do NOTHING, and lay around napping and junk. But… the last time that happened was… um… not recently.

But here’s my question for you. How do you stop yourself from BRINGING IT to your workout? Do you EMBRACE the rest day? Or do you PUT OFF the recovery “until tomorrow”?

I believe in Karma. I do... it's the main reason I work so hard not to act catty. or southern. No really, those two words are interchangeable.

So when good things happen to my friends, I'm happy for them.

And IF it happens that my finger was unknowingly in the pot, I'm doubly happy for them.

So when I found out that something SUPER happened for a friend of mine because of something that I did a WEEK BEFORE WE MET ... well, that my friends, puts me over the moon.

And it just goes to prove what T & I have been saying for a LONG a** time.

Richmond is just too darned small, so all ya'll need to remember that if you come visit. Everybody knows everybody, and if they don't, it's only a matter of time before they meet. After all, you just never know when a pair of wicked socks is going to run by on the legs of someone you're going to meet next week.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Runner's World Magazine is looking for photos for a feature my BFF SBS has written for upcoming August issue. For your chance to appear in the mag, email a jpeg of you wearing your most stand-out-from-the-crowd running outfit to: fastinistas at gmail dot com. Deadline is this Friday ~ c'mon, you KNOW who you ARE!

I’ve been thinking about this blog post for a long time. And I’m ready to write it.

It’s controversial though, because what I want to write is:

“Why spraining my ankle might have been one of the best things to happen to me.”

I know. Crazy right?

Especially since it happened in early January and it's now May and I’m still doing PT every day.

Especially since there are days when I still get pain.

And I still wonder if something deep down inside the joint was damaged permanently, never to be “right again”.

I still even have days where I wonder if my GBA marathon in ’10 was my last GBA marathon because… yeah. It’s a dark place.

I missed National Marathon because of that 'effing ankle…

…and this is where I start to see the other side…

I was able to be there for T at the last miles of her GBA marathon because my ankle was not well enough to run the Half Marathon. Best day EVER.

In the process of not training for any kind of anything I called my coach, and somewhere along the way, we became friends during the “time of troubles”(his words, not mine).

I swam. Every day. One day a mile, the next day a mile and half, and eventually 2 miles. The Iron Man distance is just a series of laps… so why the hell not? ...because I could.

Swimming straight sets got boring, so I reached out of my comfort zone and I reached out to another blogger for a swim workout or three. And she’s great. I’m glad I did it.

I hate swimming in a crowd, so I started going to the gym early.

I hate swimming in a crowd so I started going to the gym wicked early.

I finally ended up standing outside the gym in the rain one day waiting for it to open, and realized that this was the right time for swimming.

I got stressed one day because I was missing my run so badly that I wanted to cry, so I went and did a double on a (stationary) bike. I credit that that dread-bike ride with the adoption of a cross training routine that is enviable.

I planned on riding my pink Schwinn as part of the XT routine, and because of that plan, I stumbled into a bike store for a $20 part and found my Soul-Bike, OC. She was not $20. She’s road cone orange and full of potential; I love orange and finding the potential in things.

I had some crappy days, and they made me appreciate my best friend even more than I already did… and I do appreciate her.

I took a break from running and it made me appreciate my run. I savor each step, every day.

While I was injured, my f’ankle was my muse. Crazy right? But it’s true.

I met the HD, and got an expensive bone scan.

I became “BFF’s” with a writer whom I admire greatly.

A casual conversation resulted in my return to writing. And, for about the 29th (that’s a real number) time in my life, I submitted something for publication.

…And for the first time in my life, I wasn’t rejected. (supposedly) I am going to be published shortly in a local publication. I will share with you all if it happens, when I see it for myself, I promise.

I became Pen Pals with some great ladies who live far far away.

I came to realize that not running is not an excuse for insanity. It’s a cause. er, wait.

I came to realize that not running is not an excuse for insanity and I need to try to find other ways to manage my stress.

Just call me O'Captain my Captain, as I became a Team Captain of a Virtual Shuffleboard Team. To make the cut you had to be a non-running runner. And there were quite a few of us for a while there…. (a quiet nod to those of you who are still on the virtual shuffle board team. I’m here for you).

I came back to running with a newfound appreciation for the rest day.

I realized one day that I was swimming, biking and running 8 – 10 workouts per week. This lead to the realization that I was going to do a TRI, whether I wanted to or not.

If I hadn’t sprained my ankle, I would have run National, and Monument 10K, and I would have come into the 2011 Richmond Marathon training season at the risk of burnout.

So now, here I am. Excited about MTT & the running miles that wait before me, with a newfound fitness routine to compliment my sport, a GBA** posse that supports me on the run or on my bike, and an ABA** coach who is freakishly amazing… I’m (going to be) apublished writer, who is lucky enough to find herself standing beside a Best Friend who is more than a girl could ever ask for, and supported by a bloggy following who keeps me sane. You guys rock.

Monday, May 9, 2011

I use Daily Mile as a training log. It’s great, I write my splits in my notes, and this way I can go back a few months and see my progress. Take last week, for example, when I ran my fastest mile since the f’ankle incident. I cheerfully put my entry into Daily Mile, and then it published to my personal facebook page.

The first time I set up my Daily Mile page and it published to my Facebook page, it was a happy accident. Apparently I had checked a box, or clicked a button. Initially I was going to un-do this ‘mistake’, because I thought it seemed a bit crazy to have the randomness in my running journal entry published on my FB. Eventually I learned that if I edit the splits into the DM journal after the fact, my FB friends don’t see exactly how fast or how slow I’m running each mile. They just see, “Nice quick little run with Kc” or “The Posse was out in FORCE today!” followed by the “g. ran 14.2 miles in XYZ minutes and felt great (blah)(injured)(tired).”

Still, sometimes I don’t have time to go back and edit, so I just put the splits up, or I put them up for my watch-less friends who, like me, keep track of how fast they’re running.

After a few months of Daily Mile Status updates on FB I started getting e-mails, comments, and IM’s indicating that random people were inspired by my fitness endeavors. One friend told me that she started run/walking because she felt like if I could get up at 5am and hit the pool, that she could surely fit in a 20 minute walk/run after preschool drop off. A friend's husband just tries to bike as many miles as I run in a week… apparently my cycling endeavors are putting a real strain on his cycling because he now has to match those miles as well.

Another friend told me that she was inspired to aim for a half marathon this year, because I inspired her to “imagine the possibilities”.

Could anyone ever say anything to me that was MORE impactful than that?

I thought not. But then I got a negative comment about my D.Mile posting this week. Just an offhand snarky remark that I won’t share exactly. And it made me think that my Daily Mile posts are… well, that I’m a braggart. Am I?

I suppose in a way, I am.

Look at me Me ME! I ran XYZ miles at this pace! and I. Felt. GREAT. ~ SO THERE~.

I mean, that’s NOT what it says, but I suppose if you had a bad run, or are lacking endorphins from your lack of run day, or are a sour puss, or think that I'm bragging or whatnot… it might read that way.

To the person who made that comment… On one hand, I appreciate it that you let me know your feelings on the matter. On the other, I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that the underhanded delivery made me a little sad. I admit, because it's you who said it, this probably meant more to me than you.

So, readers, what do you think?

Do you think publishing Daily Mile posts on FB is obnoxious? Do you think it's inspirational? Should I un-click my publishing options and let my training log go back to being private?

Friday, May 6, 2011

Today I spent about 20 minutes with my daughter at a little girl jewelry store buying the perfect gift for her friend's birthday. It was exciting. We went straight from the mall to the party where I dropped her off. She's 11.

And to think just a few hours later I would be contemplating JAIL TIME.

Yeah, so here's the thing... my daughter went to a birthday party tonight... and got kicked in the face.

She has a black eye, a damaged ego, a swollen face, and, oh yeah, did I mention it's her dance recital tomorrow and she has an effing BLACK EYE?

So. I went to pick her up from the party. I arrived with no idea that there was a situation. Note to parents, should this happen at a party you are hosting, ALWAYS warn the incoming mom there's a possible issue, and ALWAYS make it sound SO MUCH WORSE over the phone than it actually is... because if you don't ... well...

I took one look at my child's swollen bruised face and I felt my control slip. Like, deep down there was some kind of battle between the real me... and this....

...as I felt my control slipping... for a solid 15 seconds I thought... "I'm going to get arrested today. And... if I'm not there to hold him back, well, when H gets a load of this eye, he will too.... so.... who will bail us out?"

I stayed calm. Yes, I was, angry... ok, ok, I stayed MOSTLY calm....

I held it together and I managed not to go to jail.

Who knew my goals today would be so lofty?

"What did you do today, g?"

well, oh, you know ~ the usual ~ I got up at 4:30am, went for a swim, and a run, took my final exam in Ethics, played with the kids, made dinner, narrowly avoided being arrested... just a typical friday here at Chez Moi...

But seriously, I was cool, level, and didn't make a total a** out of myself in the moment.

Um.

Ok, 40% on that.

And right now, just retelling this story is making my eye twitch... because deep down inside, I really. really. really. want to kick someone in the face.

Monday, May 2, 2011

The day started so well. We were on time, had our bikes, socks, skirts to sacrifice.

We were ready to RUN, have FUN, and GET MUDDY.

I admit, I was totally looking forward to being COVERED in MUD at the end of the day with my GIRLFRIEND. We're sexy as it is.... somehow a mud pit/post race hose down just seemed like a way to take it up to the next level.

Team Beer & Cupcakes... or is that Cupcakes & Beer?

It didn't matter, we were mint and chocolate and ready to race...er, "run for fun".

Our corral went off without a hitch. I rode out on the bike with full confidence that T would pass everyone on the run. I held my own on the bike, and finished middle of the pack.

Dude, did you know I can run? I passed almost every female in our corral... and a lot of men too....

chic... chic... chic... chic...

I spent the entire run, "on your left!" up the hills, "on your left!" feeling strong... oh yes, totally GBA, plenty in the tank for the next leg of the race.

I kept waiting for her to pass me on the bike. And as I got to the 2nd transition... I knew...

Something was wrong.

No buddy... I thought, oh no, a flat tire.... and then Lady Em ran past and the look on her face said more than her words ever could. "I saw her DOWN on the side of the course..."

down as in, "down" and getting up, or as in DOWN?.

Lady Em, "As in, she's not coming...."

I turned right then went to the EMT with his radio and said, "This is my Buddy's bib #, I need to know, is she OK? Where she is? How can we get me from here to her?" EMT looked at me and said, "I'm about to take this guy here... want to ride? I can try to find out about your buddy while we're driving?"

So without real confirmation, I jumped onto the back of a gator type thing and rode out of the Muddy Buddy without a second thought.

I always wondered what it would feel like to ride off the course with an EMT. Would I be bummed that my race had gone to hell? Would I worry about a DNF? Would I...? would I...?

No. I apparently won't give it a thought. It's not important.

I arrived at the ambulance right as they shut the doors. I saw her sitting there, and they shut the door on my face. The heavy sound rang in my heart. I swear, the sound of the doors closing was physically painful.

"Where are you taking her?"

"St. Something Hospital."

OK. So... I need to get my bike so I can get to St. Somthing. And I jumped into another gator to get my bike off the course.

As we're riding to the bike the EMT kept saying, "I hid your bike, your bike is fine." and I kept saying "It doesn't matter, I can buy a new bike. I am much more worried about my buddy."... to which he kept saying, "they're taking her to the hospital... but it's OK, your bike is fine..."

I picked up my bike, jumped on, and honestly, rode faster than I've probably ever ridden uphill in my life. That was my workout today. a 1 mile bike ride, a 1+ mile run, and 1 mile hard as you can sprint ride out. Loaded bike in the JEEP in 2 seconds, and made it to the hospital before she was out of triage.

I'm a good friend though - don't worry. I gave her my last cliff bar. I took her photo for the blog. I took OUR photo for the blog. I was sad and held her hand. And I felt helpless. I tried to entertain her. To offer words of encouragement. To tell her the GOOD things that came out of the day. To celebrate that she is OK... even though she's not 100% OK, she's OK...

So tonight I'm exhausted. And Sad.

Sad that I could not make it better for T.

Sad that I couldn't do anything to help with her pain at the hospital.

Need to reach me?

Follow NofSahm by Email

About GBA GF

I'm a mother of 3 kids, and I stayed at home until they all went to school. A few years ago I decided to go back to college so that I can have a job I actually want instead of a job that I'm "stuck with" due to lack of skills. Now I'm a nurse, working full time, and I love it.
I like to write. I find peace when I draw. I meditate during my swim. I enjoy my ride. I love my run. A freaking lot. (Like a heroin addict loves H.)
I have run a lot of races, and while I'm super proud of the marathon that I finished in Dec '11, I'm equally proud of the 5K I finished in April of '08.
I grew up in Virginia Beach, and people always act like that's a big deal. "Wow, that must have been great". No, not really. It's not like I lived on the beach. I did try surfing once, but only once. Fortunately my nose wasn't broken...
~Savor the Run~

Incase of Emergency - BREAK GLASS

GARMIN FORERUNNER 305 Owners ~ Garmin Non-responsive? "nurse g." just wants to remind you that often a soft reset is as easy as holding the MODE & RESET buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds. Let go of those two buttons, press the power button, and the unit will turn back on.

Defining GBA**

"...And I smiled to myself as I thought of EXACTLY what I would say when he asked me how I was feeling. I mean here I am.

I’m at frickin mile 23 1/2 of a marathon. I’m crushing my PR. I’m running with my POSSE. I have stopped to (unsuccessfully) vom on the side of the course. Yup. I knew what 2 words I would say.... at mile 24 Q dropped the other group, and I was rewarded for my patience. 'How you doing?' 'Galactically BadA$$'."